I've Got You
by Mokibobolink
Summary: Tony is sent undercover and when he is compromised, Gibbs and the entire team must find him. Can they find the fallen agent before his time runs out? HurtTony/ProtectiveGibbs/Friendship. Not Slash
1. Chapter 1

_Hi All, _

_This is my first NCIS fic, being a somewhat new fan of the show. I just started renting the DVDs from Netflix over the summer and started this fic while still in the middle of Season 5. At the time I had no idea how the season would end and what Tony's undercover missions would mean. I decided to finish it that way so even though it takes place sometime in Season 5, it contains no spoilers. _

Chapter One

"_Tell him I'm sorry…"_

_----_

Special Agent Jethro Gibbs stomped up the stairs to MTAC not at all happy. His senior field agent had been "borrowed" for more than two days. His other two agents were working their butts off to keep up with the work and it was putting them behind.

He'd been about to call Jenny (or Director Shepherd, as she usually preferred these days) when the request had come down for him to go see her. It was a good thing too since he'd had about enough of this bull…

"Jethro," Jenny began before the door was closed, interrupting his train of thought. If he hadn't been as pissed off as he was he might have actually caught the tremble in her voice. That alone should have been enough to set off all kinds of alarms but unfortunately in his current state of mind he missed it.

"Director Shepherd," he began, deliberately using her title. "I understand that you became quite used to using my senior field agent for other duties while I was away but I have investigations to run and I need him back."

Once again he missed the look on her face. He was too busy trying the old "Gibbs stare" on her. He also missed the pictures on the monitors in the room around him. Not that they were all that exciting. It looked like a Special Op was taking place in a wooded area somewhere, though the agent in the field was not doing a very good job at giving those in MTAC a good view of the area. It looked like the man's head was down – sloppy work.

"Jethro, listen to me," Director Shepherd began again.

"No you listen, Jenny," Her name slipped out, too much time alone with her so many years ago had let it out of him. He didn't even notice and continued. "DiNozzo is MY agent and I need him. You can't keep…"

"Dammit Jethro! Will you listen to me?"

Gibbs stopped, finally catching the quality of her voice, the way she avoided looking at the monitors in the room, the way that her hands trembled ever so slightly.

Something was very wrong.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice softer now but no less insistent.

"DiNozzo," she began. "Tony….he," she paused and then seemed to steel herself.

"I put him on assignment. Two days ago."

"Where?" Gibbs was worried now but that just meant he wanted the facts even faster.

"It doesn't matter, he's not there anymore. He was compromised and they took him…"

"Where?!" Gibbs asked again.

"We don't know. His GPS only worked for a short while and then it gave out. We were tracking his last location, trying to get a fix when he finally flicked on his emergency backup camera."

Gibbs looked at the screens, realizing now what he hadn't noticed before.

The agent behind the camera hadn't moved the entire time he'd been standing there.

"What happened?" he asked, walking closer to the screen, almost as if he could reach out and save the man he now knew to be trapped in it.

Instead of answering, Jenny turned and nodded to the tech in the room and suddenly the screen changed as it went blank and came back on.

A familiar voice came across the speakers in the room – DiNozzo

"_Director….I don't know if you can hear me…..I……" _

Gibbs heard the effort to speak and it chilled him to his very soul. He didn't want to think of what that meant, hoped that he misheard it, misinterpreted it, anything so long as he was wrong.

"_I was taken from my last location and brought here……..not sure where here is though…..I'm in a…….wooded area…..lots of trees……can't see much."_

Tony was walking as he spoke, moving his head slowly in every direction exactly as he'd been trained and giving his backup a perfect view of his location. Problem was it was only trees. There was no way to know where he was exactly.

"_I will try and find…..shelter…..wait to be found……can't do much more than that I'm afraid……had a bit of trouble with my hosts. They left me with a……parting gift"_

The camera panned downwards and Gibbs fears were realized. DiNozzo never had that much trouble speaking, not even while hiking through rough terrain. Hell, the man could flap his yap while running.

So it didn't really surprise him when Tony's camera caught the sight of blood. His hands were covered in it and he pressed them against his body before the camera moved up again as he continued walking.

"_If you are getting this Jenny…..do me a favor……tell Gibbs…" _

Gibbs watched in horror as the camera wavered and Tony's feet started to give out, weakness and blood loss finally taking their toll. He fell to the ground and Gibbs saw now the same view that he'd seen when he'd first walked in the door just a few minutes ago.

"_Tell him I'm sorry…."_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"_Five or six hours."_

_--_

Officer Ziva David sat at her desk, typing away at the third report she'd done that morning. Her partner should have done the last one but as he wasn't around, that left her to do it. Again.

She sighed as she pulled the report off the printer and put it in the file on her desk. Doing Tony's work was really starting to get old, and fast.

Across from her she knew that Special Agent McGee was in the same canoe….or was it ship? No wait, it was boat. He was in the same boat. American idioms still gave her trouble. She spoke five languages but English she definitely found the most confusing.

"Do you think he's telling her on?" She asked McGee and he looked up at her in puzzlement for a few seconds until understanding flew across his features.

"off. He's telling her off," he corrected her kindly. Good thing Tony wasn't there, he would've had lots of fun with that one, McGee thought.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Oh and yes, I'm sure he is."

"Good, we need Tony back. If I have to type one more report of his…"

Ziva stopped as she heard the door to MTAC open and Gibbs came down the stairs followed by her friend (and now her boss's boss) Jenny, the Director.

She felt the tension from both and stood up to meet them as they came down to stand in front of herself and McGee.

"Tony's in trouble. He's been hurt and we don't know where he is," Gibbs announced without any preamble.

McGee was on his feet in an instant. "What do you need, Boss?"

Gibbs turned to him. "Go to Abby's lab. MTAC is forwarding all of the GPS info we had on Tony before it went off as well as the feed from his emergency camera before he lost consciousness."

Ziva and McGee's eyes opened a little wider at that but neither of them said anything, waiting for Gibbs to continue.

"I need you and Abby to see if you can track his GPS, find his location from landmarks, whatever you can do."

"On it, Boss," McGee said and was gone.

"Jen, can you talk to Ducky? See if he can't give us a little more info on Tony's injuries. I'd like to know how much time we have to find him." It wasn't an order, it was a request and she took it as such.

"I'll call you as soon as we know anything," she said and started walking back up to MTAC to call Ducky up there to see the feed.

"Ziva, you're with me, we're going to his last known location." With that he headed to the elevator, Ziva grabbed her bag and jumped in right before they closed.

---

Jenny was sitting in a chair in the theater-like room when Ducky entered. He already knew what had happened and hurried down to meet her. Without a word she had the crew put on the video once again. She had already seen it more times that she cared to but if it meant saving Tony's life she was willing to watch it again, no matter how damn helpless it made her feel.

Once it ended she turned to Ducky. He was too quiet for her liking, Ducky was never quiet.

"Well?"

Ducky sighed. "Director I'm not sure how much help I can be from here. There wasn't much for me to see and there's no way of knowing if what I hypothesize will turn out to be true. There are many factors involved…."

"Please Ducky, just tell us how long you think Tony can survive out there alone with the injuries he might have sustained."

"Well Director, I'm afraid that based on the amount of blood loss I saw on film and the possible location of the wound that he has approximately….," he paused.

"Please Ducky," she pleaded.

"Five or six hours."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"_We're coming…..hang on."_

-----

_3 hours 28 minutes…._

Tony had been missing for almost three and a half hours when Gibbs rounded the corner and headed towards his desk. Ducky had given him five or six and they were too close to that mark, too damn close.

"Status!" he barked at Ziva and McGee, not really caring who answered first.

"Boss," McGee began and Gibbs immediately turned his attention to the younger man.

"Abby and I haven't had any luck getting the GPS on Tony's cell to come back on. Apparently something went awry with the wiring in…."

McGee could feel Gibbs' fury building and he cut himself short, before the requisite head slap.

"None of that matters though, right Boss. We're now working on trying to piggy-back a signal from the feed on his camera."

"How long?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"Not sure Boss, forty –five minutes, maybe an hour, two at most."

"You have thirty minutes."

"Right, Boss." McGee nodded and hurried to the elevator to head back down to Abby's lab. They both wanted to find Tony as badly as Gibbs and Abby was working on the problem even as he'd been up giving his report. Hoping that she'd made some progress while he was gone, he stepped into the sliding doors and pressed the button for her floor.

"Ziva, what have you found?" Gibbs said before McGee had even left the room.

Ziva stayed at her computer, looking up from the various maps on her screen. She and Gibbs had returned from Tony's last location at least an hour before and she'd been doing nothing but that since she'd sat down. All they'd been able to find out is that a man matching Tony's description had been seen walking out of a hotel with three men about two hours before his camera had come back online in MTAC.

Knowing from the fuzzy (and still sickeningly unmoving) pictures coming from Tony's feed, they knew that he was somewhere in the woods. Ziva had been looking at maps, trying to determine possible locations judging by where someone could drive in under two hours. They were assuming that the men who had Tony had stayed in the car they'd been seen in earlier. Gibbs hadn't allowed them to ponder on how far away Tony could be if they'd managed to put him in a plane or helicopter.

Gibbs' gut told him that they'd stayed in a car. He was sure of it. They'd found Tony, probably beaten him to try and find out how much info he'd given on them (which they'd have had no luck with, Gibbs was sure), taken him out to a secluded spot, shot him and left him for dead.

_Good thing DiNozzo never did as he was supposed to_, Gibbs thought.

"I believe that I have narrowed it down to three possible locations based upon the time they would have had to drive and upon the view we have from Tony's camera," Ziva replied.

"Show me."

Ziva pulled up the map on the large monitor in the middle of the room. Getting up from her desk, she walked over to it and pointed to a quadrant to the northeast.

"This is the first possible location," she then pointed to two more spots on the map. One was northwest and the other nearly straight east.

Gibbs didn't reply. He stood looking at the map for a long minute, studying the locations. What he hoped to see by staring at it he wasn't sure but he had a feeling that something would come to him. He had learned a long time ago to trust feelings like that so he was rolling with it, seeing where it led.

Suddenly he looked closer at the location Ziva had pointed out to the east. "What is this place called?"

Ziva went back to her notes, looking up from her desk she answered. "Trident Springs."

Gibbs didn't know why but he knew that Tony was there. If someone had asked him for a rational explanation right then he'd probably would say that it was because the place looked more remote on the map, that maybe a couple of thugs looking to hide the body of a Federal Agent would have picked it for that reason. Truth was the only thing he knew for sure was Tony was there, how his brain (and his gut) came to that conclusion really didn't interest him in the slightest.

"He's there Ziva," Gibbs said, heading to his desk.

Ziva was already picking up the phone to dial anyone and everyone who needed to know.

The search was about to begin.

Picking up his weapon, Gibbs holstered it and started heading out the door. Before leaving the room he paused again in front of the monitor. He peered closely at the part of the map where he sure Tony was. Almost as if he could see his friend lying there, he spoke softly.

"We're coming…..hang on."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"_I've got you."_

-----

At first he thought he was dead and if he was dead then surely he must be in heaven.

Soon he began to rethink that.

Heaven wouldn't hurt this much.

Heaven wouldn't be cold.

Heaven wouldn't be terrifying.

Tony opened his eyes, the effort was almost too much and it made him realize just how weak he was. His hands were still pressed into the hole in his side, just as they had been when he'd lost consciousness who knew how long ago. Sticky and cold, he kept them where they were, not sure if moving them would mean even more blood loss.

He was lying at the base of a tree, just as he remembered. Though his staggering steps may have seemed accidental, Tony had been aiming for the spot all along. He'd been wandering through the dense woods for a long while when his keen eyes had seen a break in the trees. Knowing how much harder it would be for a search party to find him under cover, he had made for the edge of the woods. Not wanting to lay out in the open either, he'd opted for the best solution, lying at the base of a tree at the end of an open field.

It was the best he could do and he only hoped that it would give him enough time to be found. The sun was setting soon and there'd be no point in continuing a search at night. If he wasn't found soon he'd be spending a cold night alone in the forest.

Tony fought hard against the weariness that pulled against his eyes. Afraid that if he passed out again he might not wake up again, might not hear the calls of his rescuers, for surely they were coming, Gibbs was coming. He had to be.

Any other man might have let the darkness take him right away but Tony managed to hold on for almost another hour. Hope getting less and less as the sun made its slow descent in the sky. When the last sliver disappeared Tony's head dropped, the little strength he'd been holding on to along with the hope, finally leaving him.

He finally allowed the darkness to take him then, his head falling to his chest as his eyes closed slowly.

----

"Dammit!" Gibbs punched his fist into the hood of the car, making McGee jump as he tapped away on the laptop he'd set up on the car.

"I'm sorry sir, we were able to get a closer bearing on his location but I've only narrowed it down to a five mile radius. His camera battery must have died, those things were never intended to last this long, it's a miracle it made it this far." McGee said sadly, looking at the blinking red ring on his screen. That ring had been growing smaller by the minute as they'd gotten closer to Tony's location, Gibbs' reasoning that the other Agent was nearby having given them the proximity they needed to narrow down the search.

Before it had died, the camera had caught movement and the whole team had shouted in happiness. They had seen Tony lift his head and look out on the horizon, obviously looking to see where the sun was. Even as they watched and celebrated, their cries of joy were silenced as the camera gave out, leaving nothing but static.

"Well, we're just going to have to search that entire area then, grab your gear," Gibbs said.

As Ziva pulled her bag out of the car, she looked at the sun warily.

"Gibbs, there is very little chance that we will find him before dark," she said sadly, knowing as well as he what that would mean.

"Then we'll keep searching!"

She nodded and followed behind as Gibbs and McGee reported the information they'd gotten from the camera to the rest of the team in the search party. Uniformed agents had been out on foot since Gibbs had given the order to search the entire woods. Choppers were in the air too but the dense foliage meant they didn't have much of a chance of seeing Tony. Zeroing in on his location from the camera had been there best hope.

"Sir," a uniformed man approached Gibbs. "You understand that once the sun sets, my men and I will be done for the night. There is very little chance of finding your man in a location that large in the dark. We'll start up in the morning of course but…"

"Do what you want, my team and I will continue the search with or without you," Gibbs replied.

"Sir, all you're likely to do is exhaust your team, expose them to the elements and make it more likely that you'll miss something in the morning when there's light again."

Gibbs didn't answer, he just kept walking. If anyone thought they were going to talk him out of looking for Tony, they were sorely mistaken.

Gibbs, McGee and Ziva quickly checked their gear, making sure they each had enough provisions and water to sustain themselves for a while as well as extra batteries for their radios. Bundling up in large coats, they each also carried thermal blankets in their packs, ready to wrap up Tony once they found him.

They split up, each heading in different directions to cover the most ground, ready to radio back the moment they found anything.

Gibbs tromped into the woods alone, searching high and low for his fallen agent, calling Tony's name every 10 to 15 seconds, loud enough to be heard but not so loud that he couldn't keep it up for hours.

At first he could hear the other members of the large search party, calling out into the forest on either side of him. Slowly as the sun began to fade so did the voices and soon he was alone.

"Ziva, McGee, report," he said into his radio after awhile.

"Nothing, sir," Gibbs voice came in first.

"Negative," Ziva chimed in second.

"Copy that," Gibbs replied. Hefting his bag to a more comfortable position, he continued looking.

Hours later Gibbs finally allowed worry to enter into his mind. Actually "allow" wasn't right. Worry seeped into his bones, passed all the barricades he normally kept up for just such a reason. He wasn't a man who worried. He planned. He negotiated. He educated himself on the facts, knew every scenario before they happened. A man who did that had no reason to worry.

Now he had a reason.

Gibbs' mind went over the facts. He tried to stop it but it was inevitable. Ducky had said that with the amount of blood loss he'd seen on the tape that Tony must have received a serious wound. He'd given him just a few hours before shock and the loss of blood would cause him to lose consciousness. After that his body would slowly begin to shut down. That would be bad enough if not also for the cold. Even if Tony were perfectly healthy he'd be at risk being out in the elements all night. Being out there with a bullet in his gut wasn't doing anything for his chances. Gibb's mind continued going over the scenarios, unbidden. Every minute that passed made it that much less likely that they'd find Tony alive.

Turning his flashlight back and forth in the darkness, Gibbs continued to call Tony's name, though he knew that it was likely the man was out cold and wouldn't even hear him. Still he kept it up. As long as he had a voice he would keep it up.

More thoughts of failure entered his mind and Gibbs stopped suddenly, punching a tree in frustration.

"Stop it!" he screamed at himself, burying his head into the trunk underneath his arms. "You get a hold of yourself, you weakass. Just knock of the crap and find your man!" Staying like that for a good minute or two he waited until the tremors in his gut stopped.

Giving himself a final shake, Gibbs straightened his gear, picked up his light from where it had fallen at his feet and pointed it out into the dark, ready to go on all night if he needed.

That's when he saw it.

----

Tony's tentative hold on consciousness was getting thinner by the second. He'd woken up a few minutes before, almost as if he'd heard something out in the trees. Too weak to do anything more than listen hard, he wondered if he'd imagined it.

Then he heard it again, a crunch of a branch, far out into the night. He tried to holler, tried to make any sound whatsoever. Dehydration and weakness though had taken his voice. He searched for a branch to bang against the tree he leaned on but nothing was within reach.

"Dammit," Tony whispered to himself, listening as the sounds continued in the woods.

Unfortunately they were getting farther away by the second.

Then he heard something else - a voice. Someone was yelling into the night. Not his name as they had been a minute earlier - something else.

_Gibbs_, Tony thought. He was sure it was his boss - as sure as he'd ever been of anything in his life.

_Please Gibbs_, Tony thought, willing the man to come back his way, look in his direction, anything. He wasn't that far away but without the ability to move or make a sound the two of them may as well have been 100 miles apart.

Tony listened for a few more seconds and thought he heard Gibbs talking to someone, no longer yelling. His head wobbled as he felt himself going under again. He strained to keep his head up and his eyes open for a few more seconds, silently urging Gibbs to turn his way.

That's when he saw it – a beam of light shooting out from the woods where Gibbs voice had just been. It lit his legs and he looked down at it, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

"Tony!" Gibbs yelled. He couldn't believe it when his light had shown a pair of legs sticking out from under a tree no more than 20 feet from where he'd had his momentary breakdown.

He ran to the man, getting there just as Tony's head fell onto his chest. Diving to his knees, Gibbs grabbed Tony by the shoulders, giving them a gentle shake.

"Hey," he said, putting a hand under Tony's chin and lifting his face to look him in the eye. "Tony, I'm here. You hear me?"

Tony's eyes blinked sleepily at him and his lips moved.

Gibbs leaned in closer. "What? I can't hear you, Tony."

"Knew it would be you, Gibbs," Tony said before allowing consciousness to leave him again, secure in Gibbs' presence and with no fear this time.

Gibbs gently guided Tony's body to the ground. Then he simultaneously pulled out the thermal blanket and his radio. As he wrapped the blanket around Tony, he called in their location. Taking off his coat, he put that on Tony as well, sitting down next to the injured man to offer what warmth he could from his own body heat.

Gently lifting Tony's head he rested it on his knees, waiting for the rescue crew to find them. Leaning down, he whispered to his friend reassuringly.

"I've got you."

The End


End file.
